A CANNABIS dealer who avoided jail last Autumn was not so lucky on Monday when he admitted continuing his illegal trade in breach of a suspended jail term.

Last November David Burgess, formerly of Siddington Road, Cirencester, but now of Lavender Court, Cirencester, received an eight month sentence suspended for two years after he admitted supplying cannabis and amphetamines.

He was back before Gloucester Crown Court on Monday where he admitted dealing in cannabis again on May 19 this year and he was jailed for a total of 17 months.

Recorder Don Tait implemented last year's eight months suspended term in full and added nine months for the new offence.

Prosecutor Janine Wood said police went to Burgess' home with a search warrant on May 19 and found him in a shed 'den' in the back garden.

"He picked up a small tin and handed it to the officers," she said. "He identified it as cannabis.

"In the airing cupboard in the house officers found two large bags of herbal cannabis and 18 small individual wraps of the drug. Each contained one gram. The police also found three sums of cash - £800, £70 and £210.

"He admitted all the cannabis was his and said he supplied friends although not to make money. There were some texts on his phone which indicated dealing."

In total, she said, the police found cannabis with a street value of £1,393.50.

Last November, the court heard Burgess was caught with 52 packets of cannabis ready for sale. He was sentenced then to the suspended jail term coupled with 200 hours of unpaid work.

At that hearing the court was told by Stephen Thomas, defending, that Burgess was a building labourer who had been working diligently for the same employer for the last twenty years. He is dad to two grown up children and used cannabis for pain relief, the court heard then.

On Monday, Burgess was not legally represented because he does not qualify for Legal Aid and could not afford to pay a solicitor privately.

Recorder Tait asked him what he had to say for himself and Burgess replied: "I'm sorry I've done it. I appreciate I am wrong. I have actually cut down on it (cannabis) myself.

"I have worked hard all my life. I certainly won't do it again. I appreciate it was wrong but I found it helped me when I lost members of my family."

The Recorder formally certified that Burgess' benefit from crime was £2,473.50 and he ordered confiscation of the £1,080 cash under the Proceeds of Crime Act. He also ordered confiscation of the drugs, paraphernalia, and mobile phone.

Jailing Burgess Recorder Tait told him: "You were given a warning last November by Judge Tabor but apart from cutting down your cannabis use you have really carried on as before. You have still been selling it to other people."